Notabilia

Miscellaneous

Nifty Knacks

226 through 250

Back to where you came from. The same text in Greek.

  1. No more nasty smelling suitcases.
    Sprinkle a little bicarbonate of soda in suitcases and travelling bags when they are not in use. It gets rid of any unpleasant smells.

  2. Get burnt food off saucepans.
    Burnt food stuck to saucepans comes off with a little water, a little bicarbonate of soda and a little vinegar. Let it boil in the saucepan and all the marks will disappear.

  3. Jewellery with a wonderful sparkle.
    Your jewellery will regain its wonderful sparkle if you leave it in a glass of gin or vodka overnight.

  4. Repotting plants.
    Repot your plants without making a mess everywhere. Do the job in the bathtub. That way all you will need to do afterwards is to rinse the bath.

  5. Getting cling film off the roll.
    It is easier to pull cling film off the roll if it has been left in the fridge for an hour. The end unsticks much more easily.

  6. Keep tabs on the end of your sellotape.
    To make sure that you will be able to find the end of your Sellotape next time you want to use it, stick a small coin on it.

  7. Limescale on the shower head.
    You can get limescale off the shower head by soaking it in a bowl of water with a false dentures cleaning tablet dissolved in it.

  8. A funny timepiece.
    Put a funny clock next to the wash-basin and your children will always know how long to brush their teeth.

  9. Easy defrosting.
    When you have defrosted the fridge or freezer, rub a little glycerine on the walls. Next time you need to defrost, the ice will come away in large pieces so the job will be a lot easier.

  10. Keeping bread fresh.
    Put a little celery in your bread bag. The bread will stay fresh longer.

  11. Make it easy to find your needles.
    Glue small pieces of synthetic sponge to the top of the cotton reels you use most (black, white, navy blue etc) and stick the needles through them. That way you won't have to search for a needle when you want to sew on a button or sew up a hem.

  12. Scratches on furniture.
    Has your furniture got tiny scratches on it? Rub it gently with a few drops of olive oil on a cork. Repeat an hour later.

  13. Keep your oven clean.
    Your oven and grill will stay clean if you spread aluminium foil over the rack. Change it when it gets dirty.

  14. Cleaning varnished surfaces.
    Use cold tea to clean varnished surfaces. The theine (caffeine) in it dissolves grease and brightens colours.

  15. Dried flowers.
    Keep your dried flowers looking good with a little hairspray. It will stop them shrinking and fading.

  16. Baking a pizza.
    Do your pizzas burn round the edges and stay uncooked in the middle? Wrap the edges in aluminium foil before putting them in the oven and your pizzas will cook evenly.

  17. Unpleasant underarm smells on clothes.
    Do the underarm areas of your clothes smell nasty? Spray with a little white vinegar before washing and the smells will disappear.

  18. Pills for the dog.
    Get your dog to swallow its pills by (discretely) putting the pill in a little melted cheese or butter. Your dog will wolf it down.

  19. Make steps more visible.
    Paint a white stripe along the edge of the top and bottom steps to your basement, or stairs in the house. It will be much easier to see them in the dark and elderly people will find it much easier to get around. You could also stick luminous tape on them.

  20. Creases in scarves.
    Scarves crease when they are kept folded up in the bottom of a drawer. Iron them and keep them on a skirt hanger. They won't get creased.

  21. Your favourite television programmes.
    Use Post-it notes to mark the page in the television programme magazine if you don't want to miss programmes.

  22. Cotton reels.
    Cotton reels get tangled up. Keep them in an empty egg carton.

  23. Smart shoulder pads from old clothes.
    Use the shoulder pads from clothes you no longer wear as polishing pads for shoes and handbags. You can also use them to help you carry heavy bags. They stop the carrying handles digging into your hands.

  24. So your hands don't smell of onions.
    Put a few drops of vinegar on your fingers before you cut onions and your hands won't smell.

  25. Drying clothes.
    Hand-washed socks, tights, underwear and baby clothes will soon dry if you give them a turn in the salad spinner.